1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in generator and rechargeable battery systems for use with pedal powered vehicles such as bicycles, and more particularly, to a generator and battery system of the type stated in which a manually operable switch is operable by an operator of the vehicle so that the battery and generator can alternately power a load in one mode of operation and in which the generator can charge the battery in another mode of operation.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
As a result of energy shortages, particularly in fossil fuels, there has been a greater emphasis on the use of pedal powered vehicles such as bicycles as a mode of transportation and a lesser emphasis on vehicles using hydrocarbon fuels. This emphasis also has been increased as a result of increased pollution effects from the use of hydrocarbon combustion fuels.
Inasmuch as many bicyclists are now using their bicycles at times other than in daylight hours, there has been a need for both front and rear light systems on the bicycle and perhaps other electrically operable appliances such as horns and the like. Inasmuch as the bicyclist must propel his own weight and the weight of the vehicle, there is a strong sensitivity about increasing the weight of the bicycle by the addition of a storage battery, which can add a significant amount of weight. Consequently, most bicycles operate with relatively small conventional D-cell or C-cell type batteries. The very size of these batteries only provides a limited amount of power, either in current, or in operating time. Consequently, the batteries tend to burn out very quickly.
As a result of the constant and frequent and costly necessity of changing batteries, there have been several rechargeable battery systems for use with the powering of loads on bicycles. These systems rely upon the use of household current at about 110 V. and a step-down transformer. The transformer must be connected to the source of current and then by conductors to the batteries on the bicycle. However, it is necessary for the operator of the vehicle to constantly remember to recharge the batteries at periodic intervals or otherwise they will find themselves in a situation in which the batteries will die while they may be in transit.
There have been many combined battery-generator electrical systems for operating the lights of the vehicle and also recharging the batteries. Exemplary of systems of this type are those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,920 to Griffith and U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,281 to Bloomfield and U.S. Pat. No. 373,000 to Newman. Rechargable battery-generator systems of these types have limited usefulness in that they are usually quite expensive to manufacture and hence, the purchase cost may be fairly substantial. In addition, and due to the large number of components, they are not always reliable. This is particularly the case where the complex circuit may be subject to severe temperature changes from a relevantly cold winter to a relatively hot summer. In addition, many circuits of this type are sensitive to weather conditions such as high humidity and the like. Some of these lighting systems use a complex governer arrangement for switching between the battery and the generator for powering the load.
Each of the presently available or known lighting systems which use a generator and a battery source of power are costly and oftentimes unreliable in that they require the use of a number of electrical components, such as capacitors, various resistors including potentiometers, diodes and the like. Exemplary of a system which includes the need for resistors, capacitors and diodes is the aforesaid Griffith Patent. In like manner, the Bloomfield patent includes a fairly complex circuit which requires a large number of electrical components as does the aforesaid Newman patent. As a result of the foregoing, there is still a need for a very simple and reliable generator-battery system for use in operating the loads of a bicycle or similar vehicle and which still can be used for recharging the battery and which is also under the control of the operator of the vehicle.